


Love Will Continue

by PhantomOfMusic (CaptainAmericasShield)



Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms
Genre: Erik is sad, Raoul regrets a lot, This is going to start sad and eventually get better?, mention of a character's death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-14 00:35:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16902738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainAmericasShield/pseuds/PhantomOfMusic
Summary: After Christine's death, Erik and Raoul have to learn to put aside their differences to make sure Gustave has a good life, and to help each other cope and learn to move forward.





	Love Will Continue

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I’m honestly amazed how much people want to read this. I had no idea so many people would want to read it. Shoutout to my beta reader and thank you to everyone who said they really wanted to read this. Bonus shoutout to Sean Thompson for saying he wanted to be in this. I hope I don’t disappoint!

_**Raoul** _

 

Christine was dead.  His wife of nearly eleven years was dead.  Shot by someone she considered a friend. He had been told it was an accident, that  _ he _ tried to wrestle the gun away from Meg, but it went off in the struggle.  Maybe he shouldn’t have left without talking to Christine. The last time he talked to her, it was a small argument - he wanted her and Gustave to leave with him that night.  He wanted to save her, to protect her. He knew what The Phantom was capable of. He wasn’t about to let her fall prey to him again. He knew she wanted to sing, but he didn’t want to see her get hurt again.

 

He remembered the first time he saw her perform after years apart.  He remembered the way her voice reverberated throughout the massive hall of the Paris Opera House.  That was the moment he fell in love with her. The first note brought years of childhood memories flooding back.

 

Gustave.  He saw so much of her in their son.   _ Her _ son.  He still loved the child, but hated who his father was.  His  _ real _ father.  He should have known.  He should have recognized the boy’s talent.  Should have recognized the subtle similarities to  _ him _ .  Maybe he had realized it, but wouldn’t let himself believe it. Wouldn’t let himself believe that 

 

He wished he had been a better father.  He wished he had supported Christine more; been a better husband to her.  He wished their last conversation hadn’t been an argument. He would give anything to hear her voice again.  He would do anything to tell her he loved her one last time. Now he could never tell her that again. He could never hold her, could never hear her sing, could never tell her how much he loved and cared about her.  He regretted not truly apologizing for the things he did that hurt her. There was so much he wanted to apologize for, so much he regretted.

 

Raoul didn’t know what to do with Gustave.  Christine always knew the right thing to say or do in any situation.  He tried, but Christine always seemed to be the better parent. Gustave always seemed to have connected with her more.  At the time, he didn’t understand it. He knew he couldn’t raise Gustave on his own. What other option did he have? The choice was try to raise Gustave alone, or enlist the help of  _ him _ .  While allowing The Phantom to stay in Gustave’s life would not be the worst option, it would be better than allowing the child to go off with the man alone.  He never physically hurt Christine, and Raoul doubted he would hurt Gustave, but the man was unpredictable. 

 

He knew Christine wouldn’t have wanted to give up.  Although he knew she would have been happy with  _ him _ , continuing to raise Gustave with his biological father, he knew she could have helped him.  Maybe he had changed. Maybe Christine was right. Maybe deep down, The Phantom knew what he was doing.  Maybe he wouldn’t be a terrible father.

 

Even if he had to team up with a man he despised with every fiber of his being, he would do what he could to make sure Gustave had a good life.  If for nothing else, he would do it for Christine.


End file.
